1. Technical Field
The subject invention relates to switches for lighting systems having a plurality of bulbs. More particularly, the subject invention relates to an electronic switch located in the power supply circuit of a lamp for reducing the level of illumination of a fluorescent lamp.
2. Description of Related Art
As the cost of energy continues to climb alongside increased awareness of the need for energy conservation, more and more areas of energy consumption are being viewed with an eye toward energy consumption. Fluorescent illumination has been targeted as an area to reduce energy consumption by reducing the amount of illumination emanating from a fluorescent lamp. However, such systems are costly, especially when retro-fitting, and provide minimal energy savings.
The most recent attempt at a circuit which could regulate the illumination level of a fluorescent lamp is U.S. Pat. No. 4,896,079 to Tabor, issued on Jan. 23, 1990. This patent discloses a switch, connected between a toggle power switch and the fluorescent lamp, that switches one set of fluorescent bulbs, either one bulb or two, on and off with each successive toggle of their toggle power switch. Also included in the design is a reset feature which will reset the number of bulbs turned on if the toggle power switch is in the off position for a time greater than a predetermined time. This device falls short of what is needed in the marketplace because it only offers two different levels of illumination. In addition, the device does not have the capability of combining different combinations of bulbs to provide a plurality of illumination levels greater than two.